30 Kisses LJ Challenge: ErutisXEclipse
by Krim - The Tastic One
Summary: This is a set of 30 short stories and drabbles, written for a challenge. Full explanation inside. The stories center around an ErutisXEclipse pairing, unrequited or otherwise. Rated for Erutis's weird fantasies and just in case.
1. Showing Off

This is a set of 30 short stories/drabbles for the LiveJournal community 30kisses. There are thirty themes, and each short story/drabble must contain the theme and a kiss, metaphorical, imagined, or otherwise. At the beginning of each chapter, I'll mention which theme is in the particular short story or drabble. I will not be going in order. Some chapters will be AU, and all will be more or less unrelated, unless I mention otherwise. So here's Theme One: Look Over Here!

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He was so beautiful.

It was torturous, yet euphoric. Every single day, waking up and seeing him standing there, stoically glaring while they ate at the same table as the Demon Lord. It was hard to tell if the behemoth was happy or not, but Erutis didn't care. Because he was _there_, and that was all that mattered. All she had to do was look over, and he would be there.

Like now. As the knight attempted - _attempted_ being the key word - to teach the cleric how to use a sword, her mind was clearly elsewhere, though his mediocre talents made spacing out easier. To his credit, Chris was really trying; a rare occasion, really. But Erutis didn't notice, nor did she care. Countering his assaults were like second nature, with or without his skill - or lack there of.

She saw a pair of figures - short and tall, blue and black, respectively - and expertly maneuvered around so she could see them, giving the impression of weaving circles around Chris. Raenef was smiling, hopping up and down and cheering, Eclipse - stone-faced as ever - only a step or two behind him, watching his lord with bland interest.

_Look this way, _she urged mentally, pulling a flashy move that caused her blade to reflect the sunlight, making Chris stumble. The knight had decided to stop playing and show Chris was a real battle was like. But was she really showing _Chris_? As she jumped into the air, blade raised and ready to swoop down, Erutis willed, _Look over here!_

She hit the ground, knocking Chris's blade out of his hand and snaking in her blade to kiss his throat. "You lose. Again."

"Yay, Erutis!" Raenef cried, jumping up and down and clapping his hands. Erutis smiled, walking over and letting Chris pick himself up.

"What did you think, Rae?" she asked, striking an 'I'm a winner' pose. "Didja like that last move?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed. "I liked it a lot! It was-"

"Master Raenef." He was inturrupted by a pale hand on his shoulder as Eclipse bore down on him. "You've seen the match; now you have work to do."

The demon lord's face dropped. "Yeah...right...Ah well, I'll see you later Erutis!" With that, they turned and left, leaving Erutis all alone.  
_  
He didn't even look at me..._


	2. Strawberries

This chapter's theme is Number Seven: The Space Between Dreams And Reality.

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It was a quiet night, just like any other. Erutis slept soundly in her guest bedroom, whispy bits red hair falling in front of her face, disturbed by her breathing. Her armor and cape were hung up on a rack Raenef had given her, and the room itself was well decorated with tapestries and jewels, particularly emeralds and greens. The knight liked money and expensive things; didn't need them and could live without them, but liked them. Chris - who, by terms of his religious in-training...ness, had a much more sparse room - was understandably jealous.

Light footsteps outside her door made her stir, shifting around in the queen-sized bed until she faced the enterance. It seemed quite late at night, if the moon was any indication; her first thoughts jumped to Raenef, but that wasn't possible. Raenef would just go to Eclipse. Chris would have rather whimpered in his room before coming to her in the middle of the night, so that only left...

The door gently slid open, a tall, pale figure slipping inside. There he was, in all his half-naked, six foot seven, raven-haired glory. His chest and broad shoulders were bare, the soft sleeping pants that clothed his lower half stark against pale skin. Erutis sat up fast, staring; was she dreaming? She wanted to pinch herself to check, but in case it wasn't, she didn't want to spoil it.

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she looked at him questioningly, moving the covers aside. His name as a question slipped past her lips as the demon advanced, a strangely serene - almost euphoric - look on his features.

"Are you okay, Eclipse?"

"I'm fine," he assured, leaning over the knight. Green eyes widened in surprise. "I came to see you."

"Without your shirt?" Erutis asked bluntly. "I thought you hated humans..."

"I've been watching you, Erutis; you are my lord's best friend and, admittedly...not as horrid as other humans. Perhaps not even horrid at all..." The words sounded alien to the knight; he rarely ever used her name, instead singling her out with a stony glare.

"But why are you..." She trailed off when long, cool fingers touched the sides of her face, and suddenly, his eyes were much closer; she saw now that they were a brilliant violet, even deeper than she'd thought.

"Don't worry." That said, the demon leaned in, carefully laying his lips across hers. Erutis blinked once before settling, shifting underneath Eclipse's pale, almost cold skin, eyes drifting shut.

Slowly, carefully, the demon stablized the human with a hand on the small of her back, overbearing and bracing himself against the bed with his free hand. The knight gasped into his mouth when her back hit the fabric, finding a moment later that Eclipse had taken the opportunity to slide his tongue past her lips.

_Hm...he tastes like strawberries... _

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Erutis woke earlier than normal the next day to a dry mouth and tangled sheets. Closing her mouth, she ran her tongue against the back of her teeth, looking out the window and seeing the barest hints of sun. Yawning - and sort of defeating the purpose - she blinked herself awake, feet hitting the cold floor.

Her first coherent thought was of Eclipse. Running a hand through her hair, she looked around the room for any evidence that he'd been around, not expecting anything; she remembered nothing of the night before other than being pushed back. Like she thought, Erutis found nothing, deciding to shuffel down to the kitchen.

_ That was a strange dream _ , she mused, looking through the cupboards. _ I wonder if there are any strawberries... /i>_


	3. Sand Castle Beach

This chapter's theme is Number Twenty-Nine: The Sound Of The Waves

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"Isn't this great?"

Raenef plopped back into the sand, arms spread like wings. Eclipse, sitting up beside him, looked down at his master, eyebrows raised. "Master Raenef, you're going to get sand in your clothes."

"That's the fun part!" the little Demon Lord explained, smiling brightly.

"Let Rae have his fun," Erutis insisted from beside Eclipse, knees drawn up to her chest as she looked around the big demon. "You're such a stiff, Eclipse."

The demon grunted, folding his arms over his chest. Chris, over on Raenef's other side, yawned boredly. "I'm bored," he informed them.

"Then go occupy yourself," Erutis snapped. "We don't want to hear your pity party."

Sitting up quick, Raenef shook his head much like a dog, showering Eclipse and Chris with sand before standing up. Taking Chris's hand, he dragged the cleric off, leaving Erutis and Eclipse alone. "Come on, Chris! Let's make a sand castle!"

"A what? Aren't we a bit old for...nevermind. You're at the perfect level, Raenef."

"Yeah, isn't it great?" he replied, oblivious.

While Eclipse kept a watchful eye on Raenef, Erutis found herself watching i him /i . His pale skin looked so foreign against the sand, smooth and unblemished. Unconsciously, she leaned in to get a better look at the androgynous features, inching closer as the sunk sank, kissing the horizon.

Her breath on his skin alerted the demon; he looked around, his face nearly colliding with hers. The knight's eyes widened in surprise - she hadn't realized she'd come this close - a light, unchecked red spreading across her face, though whether it was because she'd been caught or because she was embarassed about coming close in the first place was hard to tell. Eclipse looked...confused, as if he was surprised that he hadn't sensed her before.

Meanwhile, Raenef sat by the finished sand castle with Chris, a dreamy smile on his face while Chris watched the sky. The cleric looked over when Raenef gripped his arm, sighing girlishly. "Aren't they cute?"

"Who?" Chris looked to Erutis and Eclipse and snorted, starting to stand. "Yeah...adorable. Whatever. We're done with this castle, right? So should we go-" But he tripped, falling on top of the castle and crushing it.

Raenef looked at his destroyed "masterpiece," sniffing before he burst into tears. "My castle!"

Alerted by his Lord's cries, Eclipse was quick to stand and go over to see what was the matter. Pulling Chris off the castle, he crouched by Raenef, attempting to calm him down.

Erutis sighed, looking back to the horizon. With all three of her friends fussing over the sand castle, she was left all alone, listening to the sound of the waves.


	4. A Dream Before Sleeping

This chapter's theme is Number Fourteen: Radio-Cassette Player. This short story is also AU, set in the future. It's all explained in the story.

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"_I'm sorry, I could never love you back!"_

How long had it been since she'd said those words? A hundred years? Two hundred years? A millennia? Maybe even two, or three? Not that it really mattered anymore; time flew fast when one was immortal, and immortal she was. Like the little, "I don't let go of anyone" person that he was, Raenef had long since found a blood fusing spell that had made his dear knight-friend immortal. Half demon, to be precise, not that she paid attention to it anymore. She enjoyed life - for the most part - and was constantly by Raenef's side. Which, in turn, meant constantly being with Eclipse, too.

Oddly enough, over the past countless years, the older demon had grown accustomed to her presence, even seemed to _enjoy_ it a little. At any rate, he'd eventually - after a couple hundred years - began to speak to her, not as if she were a fixture on the wall or a servant, but as one would an acquaintance. Perhaps the fact that Raenef frequently hung off of her might've had something to do with it; perhaps he was stuck with her and he knew it, and in light of that, had decided to make the best of it. But Eclipse had his reasons, whether because he was changing his feelings toward her or otherwise, Erutis was probably never to know. The older demon was very secretive, even around Raenef, though the years passed had wore down his defenses considerably.

Since the beginning, the world had changed so much. It had gone from swords and magic to guns and technology. The demons had kept up gracefully, gradually bleeding into the human world until seeing a demon walk the streets was just as likely as seeing a "normal person." The demon lords remained rich and they kept their servants; despite new technology, hierarchy still very much existed. All that changed was the toys they used. Granted, they weren't terribly far along with everything yet - not digital, which was unheard of as of yet - but every home had a phone, and some of the lower ranked demons and humans were acquiring hand-held cassette players while the elder, "more important" crowd used 8-tracks and records. Everything had a strange, dusty feel to it, even though everything was brand new.

Long before, Eclipse had stopped doing all the cleaning and cooking, as Raenef had bothered him into hiring help. _Human_ help, as terrible and odd as that sounded. But just like he'd taken a "liking" - more like a tolerance - to Erutis, he seemed to be able to put up with humans more and more. So, it wasn't so bad, and the knight didn't mind; it was easier to barter food from the maids than Eclipse, anyway. The notion was bittersweet. The bartering was easier, but it gave her one less reason to see him.

This thought entering her head, the redhead sighed. _You shouldn't be wanting to see him in the first place_, she reminded herself, scratching the back of her neck, carefully avoiding the wire that connected her headphones to the cassette player. The faint sound of static over the radio was as clear as it got, but she liked to listen when she was relaxing. Sure, the batteries died faster, but Raenef was always making trips to the store, and she usually went along anyway. _I shouldn't even be _thinking_ about him in my spare time at all, but..._

The thought was never finished as the soft hum of classical music lulled her to sleep while she was still sitting in the chair, legs over the arm and back propped up on the other as if the chair was her man, her white knight, carrying her to bed bridal-style...Warily, she thought she felt herself moving, felt the ground move away. Subconsciously clutching her cassette player, she curled into the back of the chair, which was smoother than she remembered it, with a dull, rhythmic thud coming from it. Shrugging it off as the beat of the music, Erutis let herself drift into proper sleep as she felt herself being laid in bed, the covers brought up around her middle.

The last thing she felt before sleep claimed the knight was a pair of soft, cool lips pressed against her forehead...

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Normally, Eclipse wouldn't have looked twice at the sleeping knight, but lately he'd been growing rather...well, _tolerant_ and _accustomed _weren't exactly the words for it, really. And he didn't dare actually think the word _fond_. But she'd somehow managed to become less ugly and..._human_ than before. Well, in all technicality, she hadn't been completely human for years.

Perhaps it was that she was so friendly with Raenef. The little demon lord seemed to make the world a bit brighter, and everyone he touched somehow seemed less horrible. Maybe it was Raenef's effect...? Or perhaps Eclipse was finally seeing what Raenef had seen in Erutis all along. The most confusing part was the _attraction_; as an upper level demon - and just plain being himself - he certainly couldn't explain why Erutis looked even remotely feminine or attractive in the least.

Conflicting thoughts or not, he found himself actually caring what happened to her. Sighing when he passed by the room, he backed up, picking up the knight from the chair. He hesitated when she snuggled into his chest, afraid she was waking; but, alas, she was simply shifting. Bringing the redhead to her room, he set her down on her own bed, pulling up the covers.

Standing, preparing to leave, Eclipse hesitated again - he was doing that too much lately - looking back. Well...she was asleep. And she slept like a rock, so...

In a moment of weakness, he leaned over, brushing his lips against the knight's forehead before leaving, closing the door securely behind him. Taking a deep breath, he promised himself he would never, _ever_ mention this to anyone. Not even Raenef.

And not even himself.


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